This invention relates to new and useful inprovements in tuning mechanisms for musical drums. Conventionally, such tuning is provided by the initial tightening of the skin constituting the drum head, by means of keys and adjustable bolts situated around the perimeter of the drum head.
Attempts have been made in the past to provide a tuning mechanism which is variable while the drum is being played and examples of such tuning mechanisms are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,729,133, 2,548,271, 3,685,389 and the mechanism shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,048,895 which is an adaptation of the "RotoTom".
All of these patents operate by varying the tension in the drum head skin which is an unsatisfactory way of accomplishing the tuning because of the varying of tension of the skin. This tends to stretch the skin unduly and place undue strain upon the skin and considerable leverage is required in order to accomplish this skin or drum head stretching.